Overview (Verses 17 - 18)

Essence of True Repentance
 
God will indeed accept the repentance of only those who do evil out of ignorance, and then repent shortly afterwards. It is they to whom God turns in His mercy. God is All-Knowing, Wise. Repentance shall not be accepted from those who indulge in their evil deeds and, when death comes to any of them, he says: “I now repent”; nor from those who die as non-believers. For those We have prepared grievous suffering. (Verses 17-18)
 
While Islam prescribes punishment, it does not slam the door in the face of sinners, should they want to return to society after having realised their guilt. Indeed, Islam encourages them and opens the way for them to repent and purify themselves. The encouragement is so emphatic that God makes acceptance of repentance, once it is genuine and sincere, a duty which He in His glory imposes on Himself by His Own free will. In this, His grace is more than anyone can expect.

True repentance which God, out of His Grace, has bound Himself to accept is the one which is deeply felt by the repenter and which indicates that he or she has undergone a total transformation. It means that past mistakes are sincerely regretted, and that regret has prompted a total change of attitude when the person concerned still enjoys good health, and still aspires to a brighter future. Such repentance is normally accompanied by a genuine desire for self-purification and a resolve to follow a different way of life.
 
“God will indeed accept the repentance of only those who do evil out of ignorance, and then repent shortly afterwards. It is they to whom God turns in His mercy. God is All-Knowing, Wise.” (Verse 17) What is meant by “those who do evil out of ignorance” is anyone who commits sin. Scholars are almost unanimous that “ignorance”, as it is used here, means deviation from Divine guidance, whether for a long or short period, as long as it does not continue until one is in the throes of death. Repenting “shortly afterwards” refers to repentance in good time, before death overtakes one and one’s life is felt to have reached its end. Such repentance reveals genuine regret and strong resolve to mend one’s ways. It indicates that one’s conscience is back at work. Hence, it is to those people that “God turns in His mercy.” For “God is All-Knowing, Wise.” Any action of His is based on His knowledge and wisdom and gives His servants the chance to return to the ranks of those who are good. He never chases them out when they have a genuine desire to seek refuge with Him and receive His mercy. We have to remember that God — limitless is He in His glory — has no need for His servants or their repentance. When they repent, they benefit only themselves. It is their lives and the life of the community in which they live that improve and become happy. Hence, the way is open for them to return to the true path at any time.
 
Repentance shall not be accepted from those who indulge in their evil deeds and, when death comes to any of them, he says: “I now repent”; nor from those who die as non- believers. For those We have prepared grievous suffering. (Verse 18)
 
This sort of repentance is that of one who is cornered. During his lifetime, he indulged in sin up to his ears. Now that death is overtaking him, he can no longer commit any more sins, for he has no time to do so. Hence, God rejects such repentance because it does not improve one’s heart or reform one’s style of life. Nor does it indicate any change in one’s erring ways. Genuine repentance is accepted because it is the door that is open for erring people to return to the camp of the good, thus regaining themselves from error. In fact, humanity regains them after they have been among those who have been lost to evil and Satan. They will be able, if they remain alive for sometime after their repentance, to do well. If, on the other hand, they are overtaken by death shortly afterwards, they have at least declared their triumph over error.
 
“Nor from those who die as non-believers.” (Verse 18) Those have severed all that could enable them to turn to God in sincere repentance and gain His forgiveness. “For those We have prepared grievous suffering.” (Verse 18) It is waiting for them, ready to engulf them as just punishment.
 
The Divine constitution then prescribes severe punishments but it keeps the door open at all times for repentance. This gives it a unique balance, helping it to influence human life as no other constitution, ancient or modern, can ever do.